Page 42 of Forget Me Twice

His brows pull together slightly at the use of his full name. He looks down at his large hands, clenching them into fists.

Shit.I keep my face carefully blank. I guess nobody calls him that, ever. Or nobody calls him that in a way he appreciates.

“Uh, look. My boys and I—” His eyes curve briefly over my scar. He pauses awkwardly before fixating back on his hands. “Myteamand I don’t really see eye-to-eye with any of the ballers. Especially the uh, Rox Boys.” He clears his throat and flexes his fingers.

“They seemrealinterested in you, though.”

It’s not surprising that someone else besides me has noticed. They’re so confident in their place at the top of the food chain, and they really have no interest in subtlety. Itissurprising that it’s coming from this zipped-up footballer.

It’s all just furthering my suspicions about an underlying Kraken-Titan sub-plot.

How deep doesthatrabbit hole go?

“So you thought you’d try and get a shot in at stealing their shiny new toy?” I chuckle. It’s not a nice sound, but I try to soften it with what I hope is a friendly smile.

I really do need more practice with…people-ing.

“You might have noticed that I’m not exactly eating lunch at their table. I’mnottheirs.”

My stomach does a weird little clench.The fuck?

I don’t actuallywantto be theirs, do I?

Leo’s eyes widen slightly and now the flush from his ears starts to spread to his neck. Whose idea was it to send this guy into the trenches? He’s a worse Front Man than I am.

“Uh, more like the enemy of my enemy, right?”

Before I can answer, we’re interrupted by Darlene—a harried single mother of three teenagers who always looks like she’s running on about eight cups of black coffee and two hours of sleep. She takes exactly no shit from any of the customers and she’s by far my favorite waitress here.

“What can I get for you kids?” She prompts without looking up from her notepad.

“Triple cheeseburger with a side of loaded bacon fries and a double choc shake,” Leo recites politely.

“Sounds good, I’ll have the same,” I add, aiming for my best impression of cheerful. Darlene grunts in an affirmative way before whisking off in a squeaking whirlwind of rubber soled shoes.

Leo’s brows climb up his forehead but I hold up a hand before he can make some asinine comment about girls and food. “I’ve heard it all. Yes, I have a large appetite and stupid-fast metabolism. Yes, Ialsosometimes wish those carbs would make their way to my tits, but alas, here I am, living firmly in the Land of A Cups.”

The poor guy just coughs into fist, his brown eyes watering as he tries to hold in his laughter. “I, uh, think your tits are just fine,” he gasps out.

Sucha gentleman. Be still my heart.

“Of course they’re fine,Casanova. But Iwouldlike to be able to rock a few more strapless options in my wardrobe. Like…a nice busty corset, you know?” I punctuate my words with a lift of my tits, like I’m wearing said corset, watching with secret glee as the flush creeps further down his neck.

I don’t usually give half a fuck about the size of my breasts, but sometimes—especially when I’m out drinking—I do find myself wishing I could channel my inner pirate wench with a tad more accuracy.

Deciding to give Leo a moment to salvage his dignity, I flick my eyes to the front door and back in a routine sweep. There are twelve other patrons and three staff that I can currently see from my vantage point. I recognize two fellow Seniors—Elijah Collins, a basketballer and Teagan Roberts, a Kraken cheerleader. They are sitting opposite one another in a booth near the front windows.

I do my best to keep my gaze from landing on them for too long, but I don’t miss the harsh scowl that Elijah is directing at Leo.

Okay. Now Ihaveto get the story there.

I prop my chin on a fist and waggle my eyebrows salaciously at the footballer in question. “Alright, big guy. I’m in. But!Quid pro quo.I want the behind the scenes at the Academy.”

The look he gives me is part incredulous, part suspicious with just a tiny dash of relief. Obviously he didn’t expect me to be so amenable. I mean, he basically just admitted to wanting to use me against his closest rivals.

But two can play at that game and it’s not my fault he’s like a big ball of dopey putty.

I sit back and cross my arms. I may as well push this ship straight out of the harbor and set it sailing in the right direction. “So. You got a game tonight?”

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